NYS DMV weighs in on recent phishing scam, how to avoid future scams

NEW YORK (WBNG) - This month, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) sent out a press release warning of a recent phishing scam. A text message mentioned the state had a rebate offer of $1,500 as a result of the gas prices.

“Unfortunately, we’re not in a position to give out $1,500 gas rebates to everyone,” said the Deputy Commissioner for Investigations Owen McShane.

McShane said as soon as calls were sent over regarding the scam, he worked with our state’s Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) to get the website down.

He said the DMV won’t ever ask for personal information via text message. “If it was actually genuinely from DMV, it would be on our webpage. We wouldn’t be sending you a link like that,” said McShane.

When it comes to a scam’s link, pay particular attention to the page it brings you to. “When they try to spoof a government site, a lot of times it’s an older version of our website or the commissioner’s name doesn’t match and the same thing with other websites,” said McShane.

According to the DMV’s July press release, look out for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, or the URL having differences from the official website.

Though this specific rebate phishing scam is taken care of, the general issue isn’t going away. “We received one today that warned about please complete this attached link to get priority to get a REAL ID. Please check your REAL ID status by entering your personal information,” said McShane.

If you believe you have received a phishing scam, the DMV asks you to contact dmv.sm.phishingattacks@dmv.ny.gov.

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